Jackson gets cleaned ..

Down and dirty

By Michael Silver, Yahoo! Sports

Coming off a frustrating, injury-marred '07 campaign and approaching a contract year that could trigger his becoming the NFL's highest-paid runner, Jackson learned last month that agent Gary Uberstine had fired him . Upon reading an email from Uberstine informing him that their representation agreement was being terminated, Jackson says, "I was in a state of shock. Where was the loyalty? The crazy thing is, I'm not a high-maintenance guy. Gary's done a lot of good in my life, and I at least thanked him for doing it before I started negotiating with the Rams. But I didn't see that coming at all."

Players switch agents all the time, but because they're almost invariably the ones initiating the breakups, Uberstine's 'Dear Steven' letter took on a man-bites-dog novelty. Throw in the fact that Jackson, whose breakout 2006 season stamped him as one of the league's brightest offensive stars, stands to land a lucrative long-term deal that will likely carry a seven-figure commission, and the whole thing seems downright stunning.

What prompted the move? Jackson says Uberstine was upset about the player's decision to use a former associate of Uberstine's as his marketing representative, among things. "It was a power move," says Jackson, who has since signed with Eugene Parker. "It was his way of saying that I need him more than he needs me."

Uberstine, in a telephone conversation on Thursday, declined to discuss the situation in specific terms, saying of Jackson, "I wish him and his sister Rhonda (an informal business adviser to the halfback) the very best, and I really don't want to go into the factors that went into my decision. I have no doubt that he will soon be the highest-paid running back in football."

To Jackson, such an eventuality is no sure thing. After St. Louis's disastrous 2007 season, in which the Rams lost their first eight games (four of which Jackson missed with a partially torn left groin) and sputtered to a 3-13 record that put second-year coach Scott Linehan's job in jeopardy, he sees his and his team's futures as shrouded in uncertainty.

"It's a one-year bid for everybody," Jackson says. "It could be Scott's last year, and my last year, and even the franchise is in jeopardy – the team could get sold and leave St. Louis. There's a lot riding on this year, and we all know that. Just as much as the Rams need me, I need them."

A 6-2, 231-pound specimen who runs with speed, power and elusiveness, Jackson took over the offense formerly known as the Greatest Show on Turf in '06 after future Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk went on injured reserve with what turned out to be a career-ending knee injury. Jackson responded by gaining 2,334 yards from scrimmage, the fifth-highest total in NFL history, with 90 receptions, the sixth-highest single-season total by a back.

In '07, Jackson caught just 38 passes while running for 1,002 yards, 526 less than his '06 total. Those numbers were hardly shameful given his health issues, the team's struggles and St. Louis's decimated offensive line, but the experience was nonetheless a miserable one. Before the season, Jackson had said publicly that his goal was to gain 2,500 yards from scrimmage.

"I predicted a number based off of a perfect season," Jackson says. "I learned something – things will come up. Two things killed me: My offensive line was just decimated, and our receivers didn't block. You look at Adrian Peterson, LaDainian Tomlinson or anyone who has a ton of yards, and those guys on the perimeter block. For me, I wasn't only looking at eight in the box, but if I happened to get through the line and out to the perimeter, the defenders were all over me."

A National Honor Society member in high school, Jackson is smart enough to know that when he makes politically incorrect statements such as that one, his employers are far from thrilled. But he tends to speak his mind anyway, believing he is obligated to be true to himself and his principles.

When Jackson flashes back to a pair of dismal defeats to Green Bay and Pittsburgh last December at the Edward Jones Dome, he doesn't hold back, saying, "You've got to love those Rams fans who showed their loyalty by selling their tickets to Packers and Steelers fans, so half the people in the stadium were rooting against us. It was like playing road games. We ran out of the tunnel and got booed. It was ridiculous. I was livid. In St. Louis, it's one of two things. They either love me or they (expletive) hate me. I'm not a diva, but if I'm pissed, (the Rams' Page Ranking staff) won't let me talk, 'cause they're scared of what might come out of my mouth."

As for what came out of another orifice in Jackson's body on that uncomfortable afternoon last spring – and yes, this is the official jumping-off point for those of you screaming "Too much information!" – Jackson still sounds scarred by the experience.

"I went in there and put on a hospital gown and lay there face up on a table with a hole underneath, and I was totally nervous," he recalled Tuesday between exotic raw-fish rolls, pausing to watch the Lakers force another shot in their Game 6 drubbing by the Celtics.

"My hands were covered in sweat, and the (colon therapist) lady comes in and starts talking my ear off. There's this thin hose-type-thing that you put up there that shoots water into you and sucks everything out, but I had trouble getting it in, and then it kept coming out. The lady had to come back six different times and put it back in there. It was brutal."

Interjected Harris: "Trust me, she didn't mind. I was having mine done in the next room, and she kept coming in to tell me how fine he was. I was like, 'Could you please stop hitting on my boyfriend while you're cleaning out my colon?' When we got done and he walked out to the waiting room, I said, 'Steven, are you OK?' He said, 'I don't want to talk about it.' I swear to God, he looked like a kid who'd been in there with R Kelly."

Jackson laughed at the memory and shook his head in mock disbelief. "I can't believe we're talking about this," he said. "But I will say this: Once you get it all out of you, your body feels great. You get a boost of energy, and you feel like you can accomplish anything."

Re: Jackson gets cleaned ..

WOW!!! Jackson smacks our receivers for not blocking! UH OH! Torry Holt will definitely roll his eyes over that one.

He's actually more the yelling and screaming type isn't he?

It will be very interesting to see what responses if any come from the receiving corps because this is a pretty direct criticism from Jackson and one that would have probably been best kept in-house. Yikes!

Re: Jackson gets cleaned ..

Oh well, it's the truth though. It's sad..but true. It's not like we haven't been thinking it. Oh, and as for Marshall...he wasn't known for being a good teammate in Indy. It wasn't until he arrived in St. Louis where he embraced the leader role.

Re: Jackson gets cleaned ..

If it is true, the game film would certainly confirm or debunk Jackson's feelings. Regardless, it does absolutely no good to air this stuff in public. These guys are teammates who are working towards the same goals and need to communicate in order to get things right as opposed to venting in front of reporters. It worries me that the coaching staff doesn't have a handle on this issue.

Re: Jackson gets cleaned ..

Originally Posted by ScottD413

Well Jackson is starting off the season right. It's June and he is already throwing teammates under the bus

If we are going to accuse Steven of "throwing teammates under the bus"', then couldn't we say Bugler did much the same thing a couple of years ago? Bulger got praised for his effort, and hailed as an emerging leader. Jackson didn't name anyone specifically, he just said receivers. As bad as we were last year, I think everyone should be held accountable. Torry shouldn't get a free pass either. There are 3 new receivers who should make the team this year, (Burton, Avery, and Caldwell) Nothing wrong with letting them know right off the bat they'll be expected to do more than just run and catch .. Receivers have the opportunity to contribute on every play, not just plays where the ball is thrown to them ...